Thelwall Viaduct lorry driver update as single lane of M6 reopens

Emergency services descended onto the M6 after a lorry fell off the Thelwall Viaduct. The vehicle is believed to have hit the barrier heading northbound and plunged off the bridge.

Cheshire Police confirmed to the ECHO officers are on the scene, with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service assisting. The incident, involving no other vehicles, took place on the M6 northbound at Thelwall Viaduct, between junction 20 and 21, shortly after 6.50pm on Monday, September 20.

The lorry driver has been taken to hospital, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. According to traffic monitoring site Inrix, three lanes remain closed due to emergency barrier repairs. Only one lane (of four) remains open.

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: "Officers attended the scene and found a lorry had come off the carriageway and landed on the embankment below the bridge. The driver of the lorry is not believed to have suffered any life-threatening injuries.

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"Three lanes remain closed on the northbound carriageway due to serious damage caused to the barrier. One lane will remain open with a reduced speed limit.

"These lane closures will remain in place for some time, and are expected to continue into the morning. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and find an alternative route during this time."

Fire crews used specialist rescue equipment to reach the HGV driver after the crash. Around 1,000 litres of biodiesel also spilled from the fuel tanks of the vehicle in the fall.

A Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "Firefighters were called to reports of a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) that had left the carriageway of the M6 northbound between Junction 20 and 21, close to the Thelwall Viaduct.

"On arrival, they found that a HGV had left the carriageway and overturned on an embankment. Crews used technical rescue equipment to lower themselves and reach the casualty, who was handed over to the care of attending paramedics.

"Crews have applied water to cool the HGV and are using bunding to contain a leak of approximately 1000 litres of bio-diesel from the fuel tanks of the vehicle. While the carriageway was fully closed, lanes one and two have been re-opened by Cheshire Police and the Highways Agency."

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